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A New Manufacturing Process Uses Lasers to Seal Paper Packaging Instead of Glue
4 Articles
4 Articles
A new manufacturing process uses lasers to seal paper packaging instead of glue
A simple paper envelope made without additional glue or plastic to seal three of its sides. | Image: Fraunhofer IVV Although paper is a more environmentally friendly packaging material than plastic, it's often contaminated with additives, such as adhesives used to create a secure seal. That complicates the recycling process and reduces the quality of recycled paper. Now, German researchers at four Fraunhofer institutes have developed an alterna…
Paper has been seen for years as a source of hope for more sustainable packaging. Compared to plastic, it scores with high recycling capacity and lower environmental impact. However, a crucial detail has so far relativised this advantage: In order to seal paper packaging safely, adhesives or plastic layers are usually needed. However, precisely these foreign materials make recycling difficult and significantly deteriorate the quality of the reco…
A paper bag lying in a Hamburg port warehouse or on a Budapest supermarket shelf seems like a completely harmless, everyday object. Yet it is steeped in a century-old environmental lie. In order for paper to function as packaging, it has almost always needed harmful foreign additives, plastic or glue. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have now demonstrated a process in which paper becomes its own adhesive. All it needs is a little light.
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